Even before time resumed, I could feel the blood vessels in my nose and ears burst from the intense strain holding it frozen took on my body. Thanks to whatever my father did, I seemed to have more control over it, but it still felt like if I continued, my head would explode.

'Bhaltair… You're only proving my point, you really are a devil… Let's fight…'

I sent time spinning back to its normal pace and instinctively dodged as he reached for my hair. He used his right hand, instead of his left, but that didn't affect my plan. The general concept was still the same.

He paused for a moment. "You little!" he grumbled before reaching for my wrist.

'I knew it!' The excitement I started to feel only fueled my adrenaline even more. At the last moment, I yanked my arm back and slipped through his fingers, but just barely. Even knowing what he was going to do, I was almost too slow to react.

Time froze again as I hesitated to make a decision.

The knife was right there. I could grab it and stab him. 'I could cut his hand… Or even go for his throat…'

Despite everything he had done to me, murder was off the table almost right away, so the only question that remained was whether or not I wanted to hurt him… The answer was of course, Yes. 'I said I was going to give you a knife someday, didn't I?'

My manna was draining quickly, and I could feel myself getting lightheaded, but I only needed to stay conscious for another few seconds.

Time resumed. I grabbed the knife, moving my hands as fast as I possibly could. His hand was left exposed on the table as he slammed it down to try and threaten me. Without hesitation I stabbed the knife straight through his palm, pinning it to polished wood…

A mixture of pride, fear, and other emotions swept over me as I saw blood splatter around the wound.

My head jerked back as I was lifted off the ground. Before I could even look at his hand he had already freed it, removing the knife with his teeth.

His face didn't even flinch. It was cold and lifeless.

"You've gotten bold… You know what happens to bold people that can't back themselves up?" The adrenaline only rushed harder through my body as his words shook me to my core. I must have looked terrified. I could tell by his smile. "They die…" He grinned, raising an eyebrow.

Still, I wasn't done. Without even realizing it myself, I had grabbed a second knife with my other hand.

'Even a shallow cut can be pretty deadly if it's in the right place…'

I kicked my legs up around his shoulder, taking the knife and stabbing it into his arm as deep as I could. His skin and muscles were so dense it only went in maybe an inch, but that was deep enough. In one clean movement and with all my might I dragged the knife from his wrist to his elbow. 'I got you…'

I pulled the knife out, expecting him to finally let go, but his arm stayed strong. Before I could even try to get away, he slammed me into the stone wall, cracking it, and dislocating my shoulder.

My chest felt heavy as I struggled to breathe, dangling before him just like before. 'Just one move… Can he really win in one move?'

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Blood dripped from his arm to the floor, slowly pooling as his eyes widened further. It wasn't out of shock or pain, though the look on his face was something else. It was the look of a wild beast…

My whole body felt numb after hitting the wall, but I could still move, and somehow I was still holding onto my knife. Time froze. 'I can't reach his body… And I can't make him drop me… I've lost… Still, I have a knife, and I'm a pretty good shot. Maybe I can at least give him a scar on his face…'

In my field of view, I saw the perfect trajectory and my body knew exactly how to move. 'Let's see how you like it…' Time flew forward at what felt like double speed as I hurled the knife, slashing his cheek wide open.

'After all, what's he going to do, beat me more…'

He spit out the knife, but time slowed again, allowing me to perfectly move, swinging my foot to catch it, kicking it up to my hands.

The scowl on his cold face vanished, and what was left was an expressionless man with eyes as blank as if he had died long ago. "Now die…" Blood dripped down his cheek as his whisper sent shivers down my spine.

'He's not… actually going to kill me right?'

The thought lingered for only a moment as I forced his elbow to bend, pulling myself up and kicking it, stopping just in front of him with the knife to his throat, holding myself up with a foot on his right leg and another hooked behind his neck. "Back off…" I said coldly.

His jaw clenched. "Or what…"

'Or… Huh?' I pressed the knife harder against his neck but it didn't even draw blood. He pushed into it further, headbuting me and catching me by the hair again as I fell backwards.

With his other hand he wound up to throw a punch, but time slowed again, letting me at least move to block, even if I didn't have my bearings together.

As his fist connected with my bandaged arm I felt its full force pin it to my body and drive straight through me, shaking me to my very core and even crushing a couple of my ribs.

A loud crack bellowed through the building before he threw me to the ground. All I could do was scream, cradling my arm and gritting my teeth to try and muffle the noise.

I couldn't tell at what point Mara had opened the door, but I couldn't even raise my eyes enough to see her, recoiling in pain, and yet simultaneously unable to feel my hand.

"What did you just do!" Mara shouted in a commanding voice. I bit into my thumb to try and stop myself from screaming anymore, but I was still groaning with every shallow breath.

"Just teaching her a lesson," he said, turning to walk back to his seat.

After assessing the situation, she seemed to calm down and furrowed her brow. "Sometimes the best way to learn is through showing, not the consequence, but the proper action." She turned around and kneeled, "How badly are you hurt?"

Her voice was as cold and callous as her expression. A part of me wondered if she was only asking so that she could judge how effective her training was, but I was glad she stopped it at the very least.

'Who's really on my side?' My head slowly lowered with every passing heartbeat as I slowly fell deeper into the floor. My father should have been in the next room, yet even after my screams, he was nowhere to be seen. Airsidh and Lu stood completely still, not even moving an inch as the scent of blood filled the cold air.

My thoughts made my words catch in my throat as I suppressed the urge to scream. The only thing I could manage was a soft wheezing sound that managed to escape as I curled up on the ground, "I-"

"If she is hurt from such a weak blow then there is no chance she will survive the academy. I should kill her now, since you're obviously too weak to… You should have beat her harder yesterday, like Father told you, maybe then she wouldn't be mouthy at least."

'On the balcony… And the reason for the tests. That was him too. I guess… That makes sense…'

My mind was too flooded to fully process everything, but all of the implications tying themselves together were enough for it to begin to shut down completely.

'No one… No one's on my side. After all this time it was Mara who was too weak to kill me? So that's why I'm alive? It's not because anyone wants me to live…'

I looked Mara in the eyes. "I'm fine…" I snarled. 'If that's how it is then I'll stand on my own… Even when I believed in my father, he was never around. I was never able to truly lean on him anyway… Nothing changed… I'll live… I'll do it just to spite you all…'

I slammed my good fist into the wall beside me and staggered back to my feet. "NEXT TIME I'LL MAKE SURE TO STAB YOUR THROAT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO CUT IT! THEN WE'LL SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN KEEP UP THAT SMUG ACT!"

I was screaming words I wasn't sure if I even meant, trying to threaten him as much as possible while my eyes watered, making me feel like nothing more than a hurt puppy, yipping at his heels.

He paused in the doorway, not even so much as looking back to acknowledge me. As he walked out I could feel Mara's cold hands poking around the wound. "Broken…" she muttered.

'Is it really broken so badly that she can tell by feeling it?' "Siya?"

I looked down at my arm, it was bleeding, and I could see one of the bones sticking out. "Oh… I guess… Maybe I'm not fine…" Her voice began to echo and my vision faded to tunnels. My stomach twisted in knots as I tried to wrap my head around how everything I was seeing was real.

"Siya, are you alright?"

I knew I was going to pass out. All I could do was chuckle. It sounded like the stupidest question she could have possibly asked, but at the same time it was almost nostalgic, comforting even to hear. "Are you playing favorites now? Bhaltair's hurt too you know…"

I was trying to sound tough, but my eyes were watering so much I doubt anyone could feel anything but pity looking at me…

She followed my eyes to the bloody knives on the floor across the room, and I lost consciousness, the limp numbness in my hand spreading to the rest of my body. I never hit the floor though… She must have caught me… Or, maybe Airsidh did. I guess it didn't really matter much…

Everything went black.

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